The Latest In Sustainable & Eco Friendly Homes
Senior Writer, Georgia Madden from Houzz Australia spoke to the Housing Industry Association (HIA) about the newest eco-friendly releases on the market, below.
Building and decorating your home in a way that’s gentle on the earth doesn’t have to mean scrimping on style or performance. In the first of this two-part series, building and design experts discuss the latest innovations in environmentally friendly building products in Australia and New Zealand, plus we share some of the most impressive new eco-friendly finds that have crossed our desks recently. While this list is by no means exhaustive, we hope it gives you a few ideas for how to go green with your next project. Want more on sustainability? You can read part two of this story next week.
Going Greener
More homeowners are wanting to build and live sustainably, says Mike Hermon, executive director for planning and development at the Housing Industry Association (HIA). And they’re looking to go above and beyond standard requirements. “More homeowners and buyers are weighing up their options with regard to designing and building a home that exceeds the current sustainability requirements across Australia,” he says. “Possibly the biggest question for homeowners is the price difference between the two – whether an upfront investment in additional sustainable design features and inclusions will pay for itself in lower running and operational costs of the home down the track.”
“The industry has an important role to play in promoting the range of sustainable building products and practices and dispelling any myths that building sustainably will always cost more. Often, if building sustainably is considered at the concept stage and carried through the design life and construction phase of the project, the cost of building sustainably can be comparable to conventional building,” says Hermon.
The HIA runs a GreenSmart program, which offers training and keeps industry professionals abreast of sustainable building news and innovations. “Design professionals’ interest in this space continues to grow,” he says. “It is essential to do so to keep up with the growing market demand for all things green and sustainable, including our homes.”
What Homeowners Want
According to Hermon, home builders and buyers are paying increasing attention to the following:
Site layout and building design/thermal performance/orientation, and preparedness to implement innovative and alternative designs.
The source and production of building materials.
Including and showcasing modern and progressive technology, such as photovoltaic cells (solar panels) and on-site batteries connected to the power grid.
election of plumbing hardware and fittings and their Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) rating.
Waste management: reducing, reusing, recycling, and the circular economy.
Selection of white goods and their energy ratings.
Purchasing energy from companies that offer more environmentally aware energy deals.
New & Improved Solar Panels
New-generation photovoltaics and battery storage are a serious improvement on their predecessors, says Hermon. “Technological advancements have grown rapidly in the past decade. Solar panels are becoming smaller and thinner while producing the same amount of electricity, meaning more solar panels can be installed, which results in the production of more solar energy. “When combined with improvements in battery technology, it allows for generated off-peak energy to be stored more efficiently, which the occupant can draw on during periods of high energy demand. At other times it can be fed back into the grid to reduce drawing on other forms of non-solar power,” he says.
A Trend For Engineered Wood
“Engineered timber products are being more commonly used in medium-rise residential construction,” says Hermon. “There are a couple of reasons for this; one is their ability to store carbon throughout their life cycle. Every cubic metre of wood used as a substitute for other building materials can reduce CO2 emissions by, on average, 1.1 tonnes,” he says. “A second reason is that timber products use less energy to manufacture than other building products. Wood is, on average, four times lighter than concrete, meaning transporting the materials requires less energy,” he says.
Breathe-Easy Paint
Dulux recently launched Dulux UltraAir interior paint – the first Greenguard Gold certified ultra-low chemical emission paint made in Australia (also available to buy in New Zealand). This paint reduces the number of chemicals present in the air during and after application, which helps reduce indoor air pollution and the risk of chemical exposure – an appealing offer for anyone who suffers from allergies or respiratory issues. Plus, the paint is extremely low-odour, so you can get back into the room sooner.
Building Mindfully
Planning on building with brick? Why not go greener by signing up for Brickworks’ new industry-first, opt-in program, which is open to Australian homeowners and builders? It allows you to specify and procure any clay brick or paver made in Brickworks’ Australian facilities as a carbon-neutral product.
A carbon calculator, which was developed specifically for Brickworks, is used to estimate the carbon emissions generated from the entire life cycle of the brick – from clay extraction, the production and delivery of bricks, to end-of-life. Carbon credits are then purchased by Brickworks to offset the calculated emissions from the lifecycle of bricks. This program has resulted in Brickworks becoming Australia’s first brick-and-paver manufacturer to achieve two Climate Active Product Certifications, an Australian Government-backed program that enables businesses to prove that they have achieved net-zero emissions.
Greenery Goes Greener
Zero-maintenance synthetic grass can be a great option if you don’t fancy spending your weekends pushing the lawnmower. And now homeowners in New Zealand can go greener with fully recyclable artificial grass from Eco Lawn.
“Recyclability of artificial grass is very rare – it usually goes to landfill – and our manufacturer is one of the few in the world to produce a recyclable product,” says Gareth Tipene, director at Eco Lawn. As well as being 100-percent recyclable, their artificial grass is cooler underfoot, super robust, and pet-friendly, making it easier to manage bacteria and odour. It also has better drainage than standard types.
Here at Hurst Homes we are big on energy efficiency as HIA GreenSmart Professional. From the solar orientation of your home, to insulation and double glazing, and the heating and cooling appliances we install. We ensure your needs are met and running costs that be be reduced are where possible. We also get all of our homes individually energy rated for our clients so they know how their house compares to others when they go to sell. For a free preliminary estimate on your dream home contact us today on 0438 692 962.
For more tips from the Houzz experts visit Houzz.com.au